


Wedding Planning

by kaider_is_my_otp



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Lunar Chronicles - Freeform, kaider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaider_is_my_otp/pseuds/kaider_is_my_otp
Summary: Cinder is struggling with planning a wedding and writing her vows and Kai has a perfect solution.Kaider fluff.
Relationships: Kai/Linh Cinder
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Wedding Planning

„What about the napkins? I was thinking either red or gold- something that is regal, but still in the colors of the Commonwealth. Or we could go with purple? It's a hit color this season.” Priya, the wedding planner, looked expectantly at Cinder.

Cinder suppressed the urge to massage her temples. „Um, red sound fine, I guess.”

Priya pursed her lips like she did every time Cinder wouldn't give her a three sentence answer, but still made a note in her portscreen. „And flowers? Chrysanthemum would be expected because—„

„Yes, national flower of the Commonwealth.” Cinder bit her tongue as soon as the remark left her lips.

Last thing she wanted was to insult Priya who had been working on every detail of her wedding for more than a year at this point. She should be lucky that she had someone else to take care of everything and not have to fret about frivolous things such as music playlist and dinner menu. All they wanted from her was her opinion. Besides, she was the future empress. She should be better than this.

Luckily, Priya didn't seem to take offense. She shut her portscreen and gave Cinder a sympathetic smile. „I know this must be incredibly stressful for you- knowing that the whole world would be watching. I just want to make things easier for you and emperor so that you two can focus on important parts. Such as your vows.”

At the mention of vows Cinder's insides cringed involuntarily. She had been trying to write her vows for almost a month now, but had barely moved from the opening line. Kai had written his vows months ago. He claimed to have known what he wanted to say for years now, so he had no trouble converting it to words.

Cinder, however, was never good at verbal expression as Kai was. He offered to help her after he witnessed her struggling for hours one night, but she refused. He deserved to hear the full depth of her feelings and it had to come from her alone. Even if the whole world would be watching, as everyone liked to remind her.

Priya noticed the sour look on Cinder's face. „Still no luck with the vows?”

Cinder shook her head and bit her lip. „Does that make me a bad bride?”

„Of course not.” Priya laughed. „A lot of people struggle to express their feelings. Are you sure you don't need any help with it?”

„No, it needs to be my own words. Kai deserves that.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, looking through the window as one of palace gardeners watered a thick bush of roses. Spring was knocking at the door, with flowers in full bloom and koi fish pond glittering like a diamond from the sunlight. Cinder couldn't wait for Kai's meeting to be over so they could go to their secret little corner in the east gardens and enjoy their time together, like they did every single day.

Priya gently laid her hand on Cinder's cyborg hand. It still felt surreal to not get disgusted looks and sneers from people around her. Still, she would probably never fully get used to any sort of physical contact that didn't come from Kai or any of her friends. 

The change in people's attitude towards her was gradual. After she took her throne people were still cautious, taught by experience with previous queens. They seemed to warm up to her after they realized she was not in fact power crazy Lunar like her relatives. Things got even better with time. Ever since her and Kai's engagement was announced almost year and a half ago, people of Eastern Commonwealth seemed to have accepted her for both her good and bad sides, and will acknowledge her as their empress.

„I think we should stop here today,” Priya spoke softly, fixing her neat bun. „We could discuss the flower arrangements tomorrow. Maybe even emperor could join us.”

 _He most certainly will,_ Cinder promised to herself. „That would be great.”

With one last assuring smile and reminder to work on her vows, Priya left Cinder alone in the spacious sitting room. As soon as the door had closed, Cinder rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. She wished she could scream without alerting all the palace guards. Instead, she had to satisfy with groaning in her hands.

It's not that she wasn't enjoying wedding preparations. She did, but sometimes it would prove to be too much for her. There were so many details that needed to be looked at, from guests to security to wedding dress. Not to mention her unwritten vows what sat heavy on her shoulders for months. She loved Kai more than she loved anything in the world. So why couldn't she say that in words? On top of that, she had constant doubts whether she would be a good empress and no amount of comforting words from Kai could fix that.

„I thought I heard whimpering coming from this room.” Kai walked through the door and took a seat on the chair that minutes ago was occupied by Priya.

Despite still wanting to scream and hide under her bed, seeing Kai made most of her worries fly through the open window. He looked at her with such adoration in his eyes and gently started rubbing circles on her back. He learned this trick soon after she moved into the palace and would get overwhelmed with attention everyone was giving her as emperor's fiancée. Kai made sure to always be by her side in case she needed his reassurance that he was right there next to her.

He knocked lightly her forehead with his index finger as if to read the thoughts inside, then kissed the spot where he touched her. „What is bothering you, love?”

Cinder exhaled and leaned her head on his shoulder. „It’s just a lot of details with the wedding.” She paused. „And the vows.”

Kai was silent for a second as he contemplated his answer. „You don't really have to rush with the vows, you know? The wedding is in five months. That's more than enough time for you to write it.”

Cinder lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. „I know, but it shouldn't be a bother in the first place. Writing my vows should be the easiest part. I don't want you to think--“

Kai took her face in his palms. „Just because you struggle to write your vows doesn't make me think you love me any less than I love you.” He pressed a quick kiss on her lips. „The right words will come to you when the time is right.” 

Of course Kai would say something as reasonable as that. Cinder dropped the subject and stood up from her chair.

Kai grabbed her left hand, caressing it gently. „How about we take some time off? I have a few hours before my next meeting.”

Cinder narrowed her eyes at him. „What do you have in mind?”

He gave her a wicked grin and pulled her out of the room.

-

„This was a nice idea,” Cinder said half an hour later as they soaked in their large bathtub.

Kai pressed a kiss on her shoulder. „Of course it was a nice idea. I came up with it.”

She elbowed him in the chest, sending waves of warm water to slosh over the bathtub rim. After dragging her in their quarters, Kai ordered her to wait as he prepared everything. He filled the bathtub (a bit too much) and dropped one of the bath bombs in it. He even lit few of the candles that were usually there only for decoration.

Now Cinder lay with her back pressed on Kai's chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. All her worries and doubts seemed to diminish with scent of vanilla that filled the room and Kai's warm lips on her neck. 

She turned her head to get a better look at his face and saw all the love she felt for him reflecting in his copper eyes. All the mutual respect, admiration, shared promises, encouragement and acceptance.

Every second they spent together flashed through her eyes- from that fated morning they met on the market, to his proposal in the field under the starry sky. Every gentle touch and every kind word that she never thought she would receive as a lowly cyborg. Until she met him.

„What?” Kai asked quietly, running his fingers down her spine.

„Nothing,” Cinder whispered and kissed him with different kind of intensity than ever before. Kai kissed her back, holding her neck gently. His fingers played with the ends of her hair as he whispered _I love you_ on her lips.

She wrote her vows that same evening.


End file.
